XN000022-1984-12-02 — Page 4

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1984

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WEATHER ALSO AFFECTS THE WEIGHT OF THE REFUSE THE 790 CSD DUSTMEN HAVE TO HANDLE. A HEAVY DOWNPOUR, FOR INSTANCE, COULD EASILY ADD MORE THAN A HUNDRED EXTRA TONNES OF RAINWATER TO THE 2 600 TONNES CARTED AWAY DAILY BY THE CSD'S FLEET OF 303 REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES.

BUT NEITHER ECONOMIC NOR METEOROLOGICAL FACTORS ARE THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR MR POON AND HIS MEN. +OUR BIGGEST HEADACHE IS CAUSED BY THE INCONSIDERATE PEOPLE WHO DUMP THEIR DOMESTIC AND TRADE REFUSE INTO SOME OF OUR 17 188 LITTER BINS, INSTEAD OF LEAVING IT AT THE DESIGNATED REFUSE COLLECTION POINTS (RCPS), + HE SAID.

+WORSE YET, SOME PEOPLE DON'T EVEN BOTHER TO PUT THE IR REFUSE INSIDE THE BINS, BUT JUST SCATTER IT AROUND THE BINS.

+ IT SEEMS THAT THE ROOT OF SUCH UNHYGIENIC PRACTICES IS SELF ISHNESS AND A LACK OF CIVIC PRIDE AMONG SOME PEOPLE.

+WE DO NOT ENJOY PROSECUTING PEOPLE FOR IMPROPER DUMPING OF REFUSE, BUT SUCH PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT LEAVING HOUSEHOLD REFUSE OUTSIDE LITTER BINS CARRIES A MAXIMUM FINE OF $5 000 AND SIX MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT, WHILE DUMPING DOMESTIC AND TRADE REFUSE INTO PUBLIC LITTER BINS COULD INCUR A FINE OF $1 000.+

+THE LITTER BINS ARE MAINLY INTENDED FOR USE BY PEDESTRIANS AND PEOPLE WHO FREQUENT URBAN COUNCIL PARKS TO DEPOSIT THE IR SMALL ITEMS OF INCIDENTAL REFUSE,+ MR POON ADDED.

WHILE THE DEPARTMENT'S 1 266 STAFF WHO ARE INVOLVED IN REFUSE MANAGEMENT ARE VESTED WITH THE POWER OF ARREST OVER LITTERERS, THEY AND MR POON ARE SLIGHTLY ENCOURAGED BY RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.

IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, 34 654 CASES OF LITTERING WERE RECORDED COMPARED WITH 37 994 CASES IN THE SAME PERIOD IN 1983.

+WE ARE HAPPY BUT NOT TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH THIS IMPROVEMENT, + SAID MR POON. +BUT IF OFFENDERS CANNOT BE PERSUADED BY OUR ONGOING PUBLICITY, WE WOULD WELCOME MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC REPORTING OFFENCES TO US BY CALLING THE LITTERING HOTLINE OF 5-95555,+ MR POON SAID.

ANOTHER PROBLEM CAUSED BY THE THOUGHTLESSNESS OF A FEW, SAYS MR POON, IS THE FAILURE OF PRIVATE REFUSE COLLECTORS TO DELIVER REFUSE TO DESIGNATED RCPS ON TIME. BECAUSE OF THE VOLUME OF REFUSE AND JUNK THAT MUST BE COLLECTED THROUGH THE NETWORK OF RCPS AND THEIR LIMITED CAPACITY, REFUSE MAY BE DELIVERED ONLY 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED ARRIVAL TIME OF CSD COLLECTION VEHICLES AT THE RCPS.

HAPPILY, MOST OF THE NUISANCES GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH RCPS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED OR SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED IN RECENT YEARS THROUGH EFFECTIVE INNOVATIONS, MR POON REPORTED.

/+FOR EXAMPLE,